Laboratoire de Parasitologie, University of Manouba, Institution de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet, Tunisia.
Health and Veterinary Control Division, Ministry of Defense, Ksar Saïd Military Base, Tunis, Tunisia.
J Equine Vet Sci. 2023 Oct;129:104894. doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104894. Epub 2023 Jul 26.
Sarcocystis spp. and Toxoplasma gondii are two apicomplexan protozoa that infect a broad range of vertebrates, however, little is known about the infection of equids with these parasites. A total of 184 slaughtered equids from slaughterhouses of Bizerte and Tunis located in Northern Tunisia, were examined for meat infections with Sarcocystis spp. and T. gondii by PCR. The prevalence of infections with Sarcocystis spp. and T. gondii were 38% (95% CI: 31-45) and 39.7% (95% CI: 32.6-46.7), respectively. The highest prevalence of infection with Sarcocystis spp. was observed in donkeys (48.6%; 95% CI: 37.3-60) followed by mules (32.8%; 95%CI: 21.3-44.3), and horses (28.3%; 95% CI: 15.2-41.2) (P = .04). Similarly, the highest prevalence of infection with T. gondii was also observed in donkeys (66.2%; 95% CI: 55.4-77), followed by mules (18.7%; 95%CI: 9.2-28.3), and horses (26.1%; 95%CI: 13.4-38.8) (P < .001). The coinfection prevalence was estimated to be 17.4% (95%CI: 11.9-22.9). Taking into consideration that humans can be infected following consumption of infected equid meat with T. gondii and/or some Sarcocystis species, it is important to assess the risk of human infection. Thus, further studies are needed to better understand the epidemiology of these zoonoses.
肉孢子虫属和刚地弓形虫是两种感染广泛脊椎动物的顶复门原生动物，但关于这些寄生虫感染马属动物的情况知之甚少。对来自突尼斯北部比塞大和突尼斯市屠宰场的 184 头屠宰马属动物进行了肉孢子虫属和刚地弓形虫的 PCR 检测，以检查其是否存在感染。肉孢子虫属和刚地弓形虫感染的流行率分别为 38%（95%可信区间：31-45）和 39.7%（95%可信区间：32.6-46.7）。感染肉孢子虫属的最高流行率见于驴（48.6%；95%可信区间：37.3-60），其次是骡（32.8%；95%CI：21.3-44.3）和马（28.3%；95% CI：15.2-41.2）（P=0.04）。同样，感染刚地弓形虫的最高流行率也见于驴（66.2%；95%可信区间：55.4-77），其次是骡（18.7%；95%CI：9.2-28.3）和马（26.1%；95%CI：13.4-38.8）（P<0.001）。共感染的流行率估计为 17.4%（95%CI：11.9-22.9）。考虑到人在食用感染刚地弓形虫和/或某些肉孢子虫属的感染马属动物肉后可能会被感染，评估人类感染的风险很重要。因此，需要进一步研究以更好地了解这些人畜共患病的流行病学。
